Voices of Now: International

In 2012 Voices of Now went international, growing from a program devoted to D.C.-area residents to one that works with communities around the world. Through four partnerships with the U.S. Department of State, Arena Stage has sent teaching artists from the Community Engagement department to India (Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Patna); Zagreb, Croatia; and Lima, Peru.

In September 2015, Arena Stage sent three Voices of Now teaching artists back to Zagreb, Croatia to work with artists from Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania, marking the theater’s fifth international Voices of Now partnership with the U.S. Department of State.

“This is the finest form of cultural diplomacy that we can do as a theater company.”

– Molly Smith

Director of Education
and Voices of Now Founder Ashley Forman

“Voices of Now instills an excitement for exploration and dialogue. When writing their plays, artists use stories pulled directly from their lives to explore issues such as social justice, growth, loss, identity and personal responsibility. This results in dynamic and highly personal theater pieces intended to spark a productive dialogue among themselves, their audience and their communities.” – Ashley Forman